Meaningful Trivialities
by Riku-Rocks
Summary: Cloud is stuck in Traverse Town with Reno for a few days; unexpected conversations, shopping, abandoned puppies, unknown character traits, and questions of friendship ensue. Written for Super Pup’s unusual request. Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.


Cloud was walking through the second district of Traverse Town after delivering some goods to Vincent and Reeve. He still had a couple days to kill until they could load his Gummi with all of the goods he was supposed to take back to Radiant Garden.

As the summer seemed to be riddled with birthdays for their little extended family, the spiky-haired man decided he might as well use the opportunity to get some shopping done. At least he was likely to find some things here that his friends could not buy at home.

Azure eyes glanced to the side discreetly, to land on a familiar redhead. When Zack had to back out of the trip unexpectedly at the last minute, Reno had surprised a few of the others by volunteering for the job. At the time, Cloud had assumed the Turk had something he wished to accomplish in Traverse Town, which prompted the unpredicted gesture. However, the man had seemed disinterested in splitting up, or doing anything really, while in the growing city.

Now, the ex-SOLDIER was beginning to think that perhaps the redhead had simply wanted something to do. He had seemed somewhat subdued (for Reno anyway) since Rude had been spending the majority of his time with Tifa. Cloud realized for the first time that, while Reno talked a fair deal, he never actually said anything personal to anyone other than his best friend and former partner. He wondered if the other man was actually lonely.

Cloud decided he needed to stop thinking so much. "So…uh, have you heard about the plans for the independence festival in Radiant Garden?"

The redhead continued to look into the store windows idly as they passed. "Yep, Silver filled me in, yo."

The spiky haired man glanced at Reno quizzically. "He actually likes you, doesn't he?" He frowned when Reno smirked. "Not like _that_. I mean...it's just surprising that he talks to you."

"Yeah, I'm flattered," remarked the Turk dryly. "I know everyone wonders about that, since I'm not exactly known for my sensitivity, but I think that's _why _Silver likes talking to me."

Cloud blinked and turned his head slightly to look at the other man quizzically. "Huh?"

Icy-blue eyes flicked over to Cloud. "He doesn't talk to me about any of the personal or serious shite he talks to Stone Cold, Fair, or even you about…namely because I don't care about any of that. But sometimes, he just wants to talk about normal stupid trivialities with someone who isn't going to analyze it to figure out what's wrong with him or what he's _really _trying to say. I don't treat him like might break, yo. If anything, I talk to him like he's not already cracked a little and sometimes you just need that."

The azure-eyed man nodded, wondering if the Turk realized just how well he understood that. He could not think of a response to the statement, however, so he said nothing. He made a mental note to try to talk to Riku more often.

"So what are you looking for anyway?" asked Reno, apparently understanding that the previous conversation was over.

"Uh, Tifa's baby shower is coming up and Sora's birthday isn't long after that, then there's Yuffie's birthday." Cloud began looking into the shop windows again. "Leon's is at the end of August and Riku's is shortly after that, so I figured if saw anything they might like that they couldn't get at home it would be nice to have it out of the way."

"You do know it's only May, right?" questioned the Turk. "Or do you always do your birthday shopping months in advance? Considering Tifa's complaining at Christmas, I figured you were the type to wait until the week of."

"I usually am, but since we're here I just thought…" The blonde man waved a hand vaguely. "I know I'm not that easy to put up with so I guess I'm trying to tell them I appreciate that they do."

Reno quirked an eyebrow at the ex-SOLDIER. "Has it occurred to you to just say it, yo? It's cheaper."

"I'm not much for conversation."

The redhead smirked, "Then why are you trying to start one right now?"

Cloud paused a moment to think before answering. "I guess…I wanted to talk to someone who won't talk to me like I'm cracked."

Reno snorted. "Somehow, I doubt Stone Cold or Cid would treat you like glass."

The spiky-haired man rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but you try talking to either of them sometime."

The Turk nodded once, "Good point, yo."

The pair fell silent again for a while as they looked through the second district. After Cloud was beginning to feel foolish for his previous attempts at conversing, Reno suddenly spoke in his usual laid-back tone, but there was an underlying quality that Cloud could not recognize in the other man.

"Rude and Tifa decided on brown and turquoise for the nursery…and the crib and changing table are mahogany. Tifa wanted a rocker to match, but we're still not up to par for that sort of thing, yo. Reeve's mentioned that the old carpenter here is pretty good."

It took a moment for the blonde man to realize why the Turk was saying this. Once he did, the smallest trace of a smile graced his lips. "That's perfect."

The redhead nodded, looking through the shop windows once again. "Sora and Yuffie should be pretty easy, yo."

"Yeah, they are," replied Cloud, doing the same. "Leon likes practical or thoughtful gifts. I have no idea what would be appropriate for Riku."

Icy blue eyes flickered to Cloud again. "Who gives a shite if it's appropriate? Just get the kid something you think he'll like."

"I don't know what he'd like," said the ex-SOLDIER levelly. "It's been a while since I was his age and he isn't exactly normal anyway."

"Silver likes manga, poetry, art and swordplay," commented the Turk. "He's good with computers and he's thinking about taking the next step with Stone Cold."

"He actually told you all of this?" asked Cloud in surprise.

"Of course not," stated the redhead as though the other were mad. "But I keep my eyes open and an ear to the ground at all times. Besides, the kid isn't exactly hard to read, you know. Stone Cold's the one I'm curious about in that situation."

The azure-eyed man chuckled. "Once Riku gives him a sign he can actually be sure about, he'll be all over it…behind closed doors, of course."

"Good, then maybe he'll lighten up, yo." Reno shook his head slightly. "Sometimes I really wonder whose bright idea it was to let Stone Cold set the pace for the reconstruction…the man has practically no social life."

"I think it was more that he decided since no one else wanted to lead it anyway," commented the ex-SOLDIER.

"Yeah, that sounds right…"

The two men continued shopping and talking late into the evening, about 'normal stupid trivialities' as the Turk had phrased it earlier. The blonde man was surprised by how much he was genuinely enjoying himself. Reno had even helped Cloud place his order at Geppetto's shop, making sure to take the mickey out of the blonde for being unable to do so by himself, of course. Even still, it was an enjoyable banter as opposed to the irritating teasing Cloud was accustomed to receiving and he was sure the chair would come out exactly as Tifa would want it, thanks to the redhead's help.

It was late into the evening before the pair decided to head back to the hotel for the night. Each carrying a bag of items they had purchased. Reno got Tifa a cushion for the chair Cloud was having made, which would match the nursery walls, and Cloud had found gifts for Sora and Yuffie's birthdays.

Shortly before they reached their destination, an odd keening sound caused Cloud to pause. "Do you hear that?"

The redhead paused for a second before turning his head toward the alleyway they had been approaching and glanced at Cloud with a brief nod. "Let's check it out, yo."

The ex-SOLDIER nodded back once and the two men quietly approached the wall beside the mouth of the alley, where they set their bags down and pulled out their weapons. They could still hear a faint whimpering noise every so often.

When they turned into the alleyway, the only thing that appeared to be in it were the usual crates, bins, and rubbish. However, the sound was definitely coming from down the darkened area. Azure eyes flicked over to meet icy blue and then the two men began to walk down the narrow passage slowly.

Nearly halfway through, they seemed to locate the source of the noise…it was coming from a small crate pressed against the wall ahead. Cloud hesitated for a moment, the crate was too small for an adult to fit in and he could not think of anything inhuman that would make that sound. The Turk appeared to have no such reservations as he steadily approached the crate. After looking down to see whatever was inside of it, he glanced around quickly and then crouched down.

The spiky-haired man was somewhat startled when the redhead reached into the crate and murmured, "It's okay, yo."

Within the span of a second Cloud was standing behind Reno, looking into the crate himself. Curled up inside were two dingy and malnourished golden retriever puppies. One was now whimpering softly and nuzzling into the redhead's hand as he stroked it with a slender finger. The other hand was checking for a pulse on the other puppy.

"She's alive," stated the redhead. He glanced around the alleyway once more. "Someone must have dumped 'em."

The azure-eyed man nodded as the Turk stood, lifting the crate as he did so. This caused the spiky-haired man to blink uncertainly. "So we're taking them back with us?"

A red eyebrow arched. "I was thinking more like the animal shelter in the next district."

Cloud sheathed his sword as the two men turned and left the alleyway. He picked up both his and Reno's bags as they passed them.

When they arrived at the shelter, they discovered that it was closed at that hour. However, Reno noted a sign with a number to call for emergency pick-ups. A moment later, Cloud held his hand against the mouthpiece of his phone as he glanced at the redhead.

"She says its sixty Munny to make the pick up now…or we can come when they're open in the morning or just leave the crate here."

The Turk set the crate down, glanced around quickly, and then shrugged. "Tell her to get down here, yo."

The blonde's eyebrows rose. "You're going to pay the fee?"

"It's fifty Munny to keep them at the hotel," replied the redhead. "I'd rather pay an extra ten and not have to deal with them for the night."

Cloud was about to nod, thinking that the Turk's explanation was actually logical as opposed to sentimental, which he had expected. Then he realized that the other man had nonchalantly dismissed the option of leaving the puppies there. He told the woman on the phone to come for the pups anyway.

The azure-eyed man realized he must have been looking at the other oddly when Reno suddenly sighed and glanced at him. "What, yo?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you staring at me like you've never seen me before?"

Cloud blinked and looked away. "Oh, uh, I guess I was just surprised."

The redhead arched an eyebrow. "…'Bout what?"

"That you never even considered just leaving the puppies," replied the ex-SOLDIER as he looked at the Turk again.

"I considered it," stated Reno, glancing at his watch. "But they don't look like they'd survive that. I'm not the nicest guy, but I'm not heartless, yo. Why...would you leave 'em?"

The spiky-haired man glanced at the two puppies cuddled together in the crate before he shook his head; "No."

The redhead nodded and the pair fell into a comfortable silence as they waited for the woman who ran the shelter to arrive. Cloud soon grew impatient, but then Reno started telling a random story about how he once set off some of Rude's explosives in a Shinra storage facility by accident.

While he had mainly listened out of boredom at first, the ex-SOLDIER soon found himself rather interested in what the other man was saying. In fact, he did not notice the arrival of the woman they were waiting for until Reno halted in his tale to stop her excessive apologies for being late.

"We don't care, yo. My buddy and I are stuck here for a couple days and we found the fur balls in an alleyway. Just take the damn crate." Reno lifted the puppies' crate and handed it over.

Icy blue eyes rolled as the woman _awed_ sadly at the puppies while she carried the crate inside, all the while assuring the two men that the pups would be fine and most likely ready for adoption in a couple of days.

Cloud was quiet as the two picked up their bags, but Reno broke the silence again as they headed for the hotel once more. "So you think she could actually tell that they'd be fine in a couple days or you think she was just hoping the two hot guys would stop by again before leaving?"

"Probably the latter," commented the azure-eyed man offhandedly while he watched the redhead through the corner of his eye.

After a moment, the Turk sighed once again. "Now what, yo?"

Cloud turned his head fully. "Huh?"

The redhead arched an eyebrow at the blonde yet again. "You're staring at me again."

The blonde man returned to looking ahead, clearly deep in thought. "You called me your buddy."

Both of the Turk's eyebrows drew slightly in confusion. "So? Aren't you?"

"I-" The ex-SOLDIER stopped speaking, not sure what to say. He had never truly considered the other man a friend before…mainly because he had never really thought about him. However, Cloud found that he did not want to risk insulting or hurting him by saying so. He vaguely wondered if that meant anything.

Apparently, Cloud either waited too long to think of a response or his thoughts were showing, as Reno suddenly scoffed. "It's not that complicated, yo. Look, if I called you up in the middle of the night because I had gotten caught fighting some Heartless or something and needed a hand, what would your reaction be?"

"I'd go help you."

"Just like that?" questioned Reno, not sounding surprised in the least. "No questions, no demands, no whining…you didn't even ask for details about the situation or what kind of help I needed."

"Yes, just like that," replied the spiky-haired man, just now starting to think through his answer but also finding that he really did not have to. "You wouldn't call me in the middle of the night unless you knew you needed my help and you could asses the situation just as well as I could."

"That's pretty astute," commented the redhead, looking the azure-eyed man over. "But the point is, it's all true, yo…and would you just roll out of bed at a phone call from anybody?"

Surprised, Cloud shook his head. Reno smirked, "And I wouldn't call just anybody for help either. So, we're buddies."

The ex-SOLDIER was even more surprised at that, but he could not deny any of it. The redhead chuckled once. Cloud glanced at him again. "What?"

"When you started about me calling you something, I thought you were going to comment on me referring to you as hot," stated the Turk with a small shrug.

The azure-eyed man paused. He had not truly been paying attention after the 'buddy' comment. By the time he wrapped his head around the redhead's implication, he also realized they were in the hall that lead to their hotel room.

"Goodnight, buddy." Cloud was quite sure the Turk winked at him before turning and sauntering into the room.

The spiky-haired man stood in the hall for a moment before following with a bemused expression.

Either he or Zack were seriously going to owe the other after the next couple of days.


End file.
